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3D movies are the big thing right now, and Dreamworks has given audiences another 3D option with their new movie, "How to Train Your Dragon." While not visually as stunning as the year's biggest blockbuster so far, "Avatar," Dragon shares a philosophy with the highly successful Sci-fi movie, in that neither uses the 3D as an excuse to poke things at the audience. Instead, the 3D helps immerse the viewer in the story, making us feel closer to the action and the characters.
It isn't just the effects, however, that helped boost Dragon to the top spot on its opening weekend. The movie offers us the story of Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), the teen-aged son of a mighty Viking warrior chief, Stoick (Gerard Butler). Hiccup, however, is everything his father is not. He is short in stature, scrawny of physique, and barely capable of handing the training of fighting dragons, let alone being of any use in the frequent battles to save their village and herds from the rampaging reptiles. He is therefore, instead, apprenticed to the village blacksmith, Gobber (Craig Ferguson), who is still a fearsome warrior despite having lost both an arm and a leg in previous dragon battles. Hiccup is constantly told to just stay inside whenever one of the dragon raids occurs, but more than anything wants to prove himself to be just as much a Viking as his father.
All this changes when Hiccup finds a downed Night Fury, one of the most feared dragons of all. No one in the village has ever even seen a Night Fury clearly (they only see the dragon's devastating attacks), let alone killed one, and Hiccup is poised to slay the creature and show everyone he is a true Viking dragon slayer.
If that was what he did, the movie would be over rather quickly. What transpires changes the lives of both boy and dragon in ways that Hiccup could never have imagined, and challenges everything his village believes.
In some ways, the story is a bit predictable, but this doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the film. It's a different twist on a classic theme, and I never minded those times when I guessed what was going to happen next. There are just enough times when my guesses were wrong that it kept it interesting, and above all else, the fun of the movie keeps you enjoying the ride nonetheless.
"How to Train Your Dragon" offers a near-perfect blend of action, comedy, drama, and emotional moments. The blacksmith/warrior Gobber plays well as one of the more comical characters, though by no means is the only source of humor. There are moral lessons in the story, though delivered with subtle grace that doesn't leave the audience feeling preached to in the end.
I did wonder, though, that most of the adult Vikings sounded more Scottish than Scandinavian. When the credits rolled, I expected to see Mike Myers listed as the voice of Stoick, since both my wife and I thought he sounded remarkably like the Shrek character voiced by Myers. Fans of the Disney movie, "Lilo and Stitch," will notice similarities between the Night Fury dragon and the Stitch character, as both were designed by the same artist.
"How to Train Your Dragon" is, all in all, just a fun, enjoyable movie. It's worth seeing in 3D on the big screen, and I fully expect to add it to our DVD collection when it releases to the home market. Leave your adult, analytical mind at the door, put on your 3D glasses, and let your inner child go for a ride.
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